Bahamasair employees have ended their three-day sickout, but it was unclear whether their decision to return to work was prompted by a call from the Minister of Works and Utilities Bradley Roberts last night for them to end their illegal industrial action.
Managing Director Paul Major told the Bahama Journal today that although all staff members were in place, the airline has to ensure that certain requirements are met before operations can resume as normal.
“We still have to wait to see if all of the crew for the afternoon shift will show up,” Mr. Major said this morning. “We have to make sure we have a stable labour force and that all of the aircraft are maintained and secured. The aircraft are typically serviced at night.”
Last night, Minister Roberts used the Progressive Liberal Party’s convention to rake employees over the coals for the industrial action that caused the already financially-strapped airline over $300,000 within the first two days of the sick-out which began on Sunday.
The Airport Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU) is pressing management to pay salary increases due since July.
Echoing the concerns of the board, Minister Roberts reiterated that the industrial action was unjustified.
He said executives filed a dispute with the Department of Labour on October 28.
“Initially, the union claimed that the staff actions were a sickout,” Minister Roberts said. “However, the board and management discovered that this was not the case, but rather premeditated illegal industrial action in an attempt to inflict undue hardship on the traveling public and further burden on the taxpayer.”
“I have also been advised that members of the AAAWU were seen at Saunders Beach yesterday partying well into the night. If you were sick, Fellow Delegates, would you be attending a party? This is disgraceful!” the Minister said.
He also alleged that he is in possession of evidence that executives of the AAAWU attempted to dissuade a wet lease operator from assisting Bahamasair by making personal contact with the operator and reportedly telling them that there was an industrial dispute and that there would be no maintenance or fuel available at NIA.
“My strong advice to the union is to return to work forthwith and allow due processes to take place,” he added.
According to the union’s President, Nellerene Harding, a number of employees returned to work on Tuesday but were sent back home by management. Angered by this alleged action, Ms. Harding said it is nonsensical, particularly as the bankrupt airline is already losing hundreds of thousands of dollars via wet lease agreements which expire on Thursday.
“How do you justify to the Bahamian people and tax payers that this is a financially burdened airline. We have a dispute with salaries, you’ve already spent in two days alone $300,000 plus on sub-services and you’re saying that you can justify that employees are at work and you’re sending them back home. We told the employees to stay to work,” Ms. Harding said.
“They have to now answer to us. If they are saying it is causing them thousands of dollars, I would think that the one thing you would do is alleviate the cost and burden as soon as you can… I have advised the employees of Bahamasair to go to work and sit there until their times to leave and don’t allow anybody to send them back home,” she said.
Mr. Major denied the claims and explained that there was one junior flight attendant who was allowed to return home and that was simply because there were not sufficient flight attendants to assist her.
“One flight attendant cannot help an airline. We need 15 flight attendants to fly a shift, so one flight attendant was allowed to go home by the Director of Flight Operations.
“He has since been re-instructed. In fact, he was instructed on Monday that anybody reporting to work must stay to work until we are satisfied that we have enough people to operate the airline, so I don’t know why he would have done what he did, but he did,” said Mr. Major.
Management had said that it refused to return to the negotiating table until all employees returned to work.
by Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
